farmer



Dec. 4, 1928. 1,693,646

c. C. FARMER AIR PURIFIER Filed Oct. 19, 1926 INVENTOR CLYDE C. FARME R ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 4, 1928.

UNITED Parent GFFl-CE.

CLYDEMC. FARMER; or rI'rrsBUne-n,PnirnsYLvANrA, nssrenon TO 'rnn WESTING- nonsn AIR BRAKE COMPANY, or wrLMEnnrNG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

AIR PURIFIER! Application filed October 19,1926. 4 Serial No. 142,619.

This invention relates to devices for separating foreign matter from a current of fluid,

and more particularly adapted for application to a fluid pressure brake system.

l/Vith'a fluid pressure brake system, a fluid compressor. is installed on the locomotive It has been found that the oil and Water in the air is liable to cause undesired action of.

certain valve devices employed in a fluid pressure brake system, and for th s reason it is desirable to'separate the'oil and water from the air compressed by the compressor before 'it is supplied to the fluidpressure brake system.

The oil and water tends to collect in the. means for separating same from the current of air and then tends to clog the pipes through which air is supplied iiroin the compressor to the storage reservoir and thusinterfere with the flowof air. I

The principal object 'of-niy invention is to provide means for separating oil and water from a current of air and means operated when the separated oil and water tends to clog theflow passages for supplying a liquid to said separating meanstor clearing same oi the collected oil and water. 7

In the accompanying drawing; Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic viewioi an apparatus era-- bodying my invention; and Fig. 2 a section on the line 2- -2 of Fig. 1.

In order to separate oil and water from a current of air, a plurality of vertically disposedsections 1 of coiled pipe are provided, the upper. ends of the coiled pipe opening into a header 2,'which is connected to an inlet pipe 3, through which air is supplied to the header. The lower ends of the pipe coils are connected to a drain reservoir 4, which is provided with an outlet air pipe 5.

A receptacle 6 is provided. which contains a liquid such as benzine which isadapted to liquefy a heavier oil, so that it will readily flow, and a liquid, such as alcohol, which is adapted to iiquety irost which may be formed from the water collecting in. the sepa rating means, when the apparatus is exposed to freezing temperatures. r

The supply of liquid in the receptacle 6 to the separating means may be controlled'by *a valve device comprising a casing 7 having a piston chamber 8 containing a piston 9. Said piston is adapted to operate a valve 10 for controlling the supply of liquid from the receptacle 6.- A corrugated metal diaphragm 11 attached to the piston v9 and forms a chamber 12 within which the valve "10 is disposed.

Chamber 12 is connected, through passage 13, past a check valve 14 and through pipe l5'with a distributing reservoir 16, said distributing reservoir having connected thereto a plurality of pipes17, which .lead to pockets 18 formed at the base of the header 2, each pocket beingconnected to one of the coiled pipe sections 1. a

F or controlling the operation of the liquid supply valve device, a controlling valve device is provided, comprising a casing 19 'contain-. ing a flexible diaphragm 20.adapted to operate a double beat valve 21. The chamber 22 at one side of diaphragm 20 is connected by pipe 23 to the air outlet pipe 5, and chamber 24 at the opposite side of the diaphragm. is connected through pipe 25 with the header-2.

Thevalve chamber 26 containing the double beat valve 21 isconnected through pipe 27 with piston chamber 8. The'pipe 25 isxalso connected to the receptacle 6, so thatthe liquid in said receptacle is subject to the pressure of fluid supplied to the header 2.

In operation, air or fluid under pressure supplied to pipe .3. flows into the header 2 and thence through the coiled pipe sections '1 to the drain reservoir 4. Oil and water which may beheld in suspension in the cur- I rent of air passing through the coils, collects on the inner walls of the pipe coils, so that the a? r which flows to the reservoir 4 is freed of oil and water and thence flows out through the outlet pipe 5: to the fluid pressure brake system, Y v 7 So long as there isv a free flow of fluid through thepcoiled pipe sections, the inlet' pressure of fluid supplied throughpipe 25' to one. side of. diaphragm '20 will be substantially equal to the outlet pressure of fluid supplied through ,pipei23to the opposite side of diaphragm 20, so "that the spr1ng=23acts through theidiaphragm 20 to -l1old the double beat valve 21 to its upper seat, as shown in the drawing, in which position, .plston chamber .8 1S,C011- nected at atmospheric exhaust .port 29 The spring 30, acting on piston 9 then moves the piston, so that valve 10 is unseated,- perm1tting liquid from the receptacle 6 to flow to chamber 12. The liquid in ."the :receptacle 6 is subject to the pressure oi fluid in the supplied through .pipe 25, and

16 and in pipe 15 is thesameas that'in the 'l1GE-'llj,i5l118 Wlll be nofloW ofiliquid :to the pipe 15.

If the pipe coil sections 1 should become clogged 1ith:oil1andavater, solas to impede the free flow of fund from theheader 2 120 the reservoir e, then the pressure oi fluid 1n =thereby the piston :9 is moved upwardly, the

area of the piston :9 exposed to the inlet fluid pressure :in chamber 12 being less than lthe area .oft he piston which is exposed to the outlet pressure.

The upper movement of piston 9 closes =the.va=lve :10 and ":forces the liquid in cham- Itber '12, .past {118' check valve 14 and through pipe 15 to the reservoir :16. -Thence the liquid is-distribiued to the several cups l8 and flows into the corresponding pipe coil sections 1. lliquid so supplied acts to i-liqueify theoil collected in thee-oils, so that it will .drain out of the coils into the drain reservoir 4.

llithe coils are subject to freezing'temper- .atures, the liquid may contain alcohol or other agent adapted to 'liquei y frost- "formed by the Water which collects in the coils.

A. drain cool; 3:1 may be applied to :the

drain reservoir so that by operating the cock,:zliquid collected in the reservoir may :be drained out.

With the cons tructionxabovo described, .the amount of liquid supplied is fixed and limited to the amount of liquid which is .forced out by the upward movement of the l-}3'1St011:9,'52l11l after the piston 9 has moved to its extreme upward position, no more liquid -Wlll :be supplied, even though the dia- .:p'l1ragm 20 should continue to hold the ess 646 willnot heisupplied to the separating means. Having now described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, ,is:

1. 'The combination with.separatingmeans ,interposed in a stream of fluid for collecting .supplyo'f flUlCliUl'ldGI pressure to said piston.

2. [Ehecombination with separating means interposed in stream of fluid for collecting oil and water contained in said stream, of a pistouoperated byfiuid under pressure for forcing a liquid into said means for clearing-"said means of the collected oil and Water, a valve operated by said piston l e-r controlling the supply or" liquid :to said :pis- :ton, and .means controlled by the opposing pressuresottlieitluid inlet andoutlet of 4 id separating means for cont-rolling the fluid pressureon said piston.

Ti lie combination with separating means interposed .in a stream of fluid for collecti-ng oil-and watercontained in said stream, or" a piston operated Iby .fluid under pressure for forcing a liquid into said means for clearin'glsaid means of thecollected iland Water, a valve operated by said -pj' "for controllingthe supplyiot liquid to said .pis-

arating 11162111801 oil-and Water.

.The COIDbl-IlZttlOllfiltl]'SG}3&F tingm interposed inn current of fluid tor col ing oil and ,Water contained'in said .Clll'lfillt,

ea ns le oi' means operated upon the clogging of said separating means with oil and. Water for supplying :a fired constant an'iouut of liquid to-said separating means, the liquid supplied being adapted to clear said separating -means of oil and Water.

In "testimony whereof l have-hereunto set :my hand. 

